"While natural cycles caused variations in the past, the current rate of change, due to human impact, is so rapid that it stands out in climate history. Only one time - around 2 million years ago - the rate of change in length of day was nearly comparable, but never before or after that has the planetary 'figure skater' raised her arms and sea-levels so quickly as in 2000 to 2020."
"By shifting the distribution of mass around the globe, melting ice and rising sea levels increase the planet's moment of inertia - resulting in slower spin and longer days."
"Days are getting longer at a rate of 1.33 milliseconds per century, a rate of change faster than any other point in 3.6 million years of Earth's history."
Recent research from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich reveals that Earth's rotation is slowing at an unprecedented rate of 1.33 milliseconds per century, faster than any point in the past 3.6 million years. Climate change is the primary cause, as melting polar ice sheets and glaciers send water toward the equator, redistributing Earth's mass away from its rotation axis. This process, analogous to a figure skater extending their arms to slow their spin, increases the planet's moment of inertia and lengthens days. While natural factors like lunar gravity and atmospheric changes have historically caused minor fluctuations in day length, human-induced climate change now drives changes comparable to or exceeding natural processes, marking an exceptional shift in planetary dynamics.
Read at Mail Online
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